What is Ketamine Therapy?

Imagine your brain is like a snowy sledding hill with your thoughts being the sleds going down the hill. As you sled down, grooves and tracks start to develop. Eventually, no matter where you start on the hill, you will end up in one of those tracks and ultimately in one of the same few spots at the bottom of the hill. Deviating from one of those well worn tracks takes strength and effort that often only results in short term change. Psychedelics are like a fresh snowfall that fills in the grooves and gives you a fresh set of possibilities to pursue. At that point, you can take the sled and develop a whole new perspective ending in a spot you’ve never been able to quite reach before.

As we grow, it is necessary for our brains to develop systems through which we understand and interpret the world around us. Many of those systems allow us to engage in daily functioning; some allow us to survive traumatic experiences; and some help us cope with the stressors that we encounter as we interact with the world around us at any given time. However, life is not stagnant and we are always moving forward and so the systems that may have served us well at one point are no longer effective in a different phase of life. Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is an intensive therapeutic model that allows for the brain to loosen its rigid systems that are no longer serving you and be open to new insights and understanding. Once this rigidity is softened, an inner healing process can begin. Humans are born with a proclivity towards growth and healing which can quickly get clouded and lost in the chaos of life. However, when we allow ourselves to cultivate an environment of curiosity, love and support for ourselves then we often find that we have the innate wisdom to know what we need after all. 

Ketamine is a substance that has pain-relieving and psychedelic effects. It has been used in the medical field as an anesthetic for decades. Ketamine’s calming effects, combined with psychotherapy allows clients to engage with difficult topics with less distress, formulate new insights, and choose the direction they want to go next. Ketamine is not a miracle substance that fixes everything instantly. But, for those who feel stuck and unable to break through into the healing they desire, KAP may be a modality that can allow for deeper connectedness to oneself and ability to access underutilized strengths and motivations for growth. 


KAP Logistics Breakdown

Timeline: The experience of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) at Redbloom is tailored for each individual and is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. If you are interested in KAP, you will first need to meet with the KAP therapist a few times to establish the relationship, understand the process, and rule out psychiatric or medical contraindications. Once it is determined that KAP is a good fit for you, the therapist will refer you to an outside medical provider who will conduct his own medical and psychiatric assessment. If he determines you to be an appropriate candidate then he will provide you with a prescription of sublingual (under the tongue) ketamine called troches. Before each medicine journey, you will meet with the therapist to develop intentions and an open acceptance for the medicine journey. You will then undergo a medicine journey with the support of the therapist in the office space. These experiences can vary in time and intensity and two hours are allotted to this session. At times people are ready and able to process what they experienced during the medicine session immediately afterwards and other people need a day or two to reflect. It is common to remember and understand the meaning of the medicine journey in the moment but also equally common to remember very little of the imagery and experience. In fact, the experience is typically less about the ‘trip’ or medicine experience and more about the neuroplasticity that ketamine initiates. The integration process after each medicine session is usually equal to or more profound than the medicine session itself. This is where those new pathways and thought processes start to shine and the client can gain new insight into their experiences and lives. Ketamine is often described as “having a long tail” which means that the ability to create new connections, meaning, and pathways can linger for weeks after the medicine session. The time between journeys can vary from 2-8 weeks and is influenced by the individual needs of each client. Clients usually undertake an average of 6 medicine journeys. 

Cost: There are some aspects of KAP that can be billed to insurance and others that cannot. All of the talk therapy, preparation, and integration sessions can be billed to insurance and covered in typical talk therapy format with the client being responsible for their portion. The services not covered by insurance are the evaluation with the outside medical prescriber, the ketamine prescription, and the medicine sessions. At Redbloom, the cost of the medical evaluation with the outside provider is $300 and the ketamine prescription is either $100 or $165 depending on the dosage and quantity of troches prescribed which is enough for the entire sequence of medicine journeys. The 2 hour medicine sessions are $350 each. 

Medicine Session: An important part of the therapist’s role is to create a safe and supportive container for each journey which is referred to as “set and setting”. The setting aspect is one that is calm, comfortable, and nurturing. It is important that you feel safe to embark on this journey fully. Curated music, eye shades, comfortable reclining, and sensory needs (like blankets of various weights and warmth and scents/incense) will be provided to facilitate the inner journey. “Set” refers to the intentions, beliefs, and preparation going into the experience. Having an intentional and open mindset influences the trajectory of the journey but it is also important to hold those intentions loosely as the medicine might take you somewhere you did not know you needed. The therapist is present and in tune for the entirety of the session and participates in holding the energy of the space.

​Ketamine, with its pain-relieving and psychedelic effects, offers a unique therapeutic opportunity. It has been utilized in the medical field for decades as an anesthetic, and its properties have been increasingly explored in the context of mental health. When combined with psychotherapy, ketamine provides a profound and transformative experience. Its calming effects enable clients to engage with difficult topics and emotions with reduced distress, facilitating the formulation of new insights and perspectives.
However, it is crucial to acknowledge that ketamine is not a magical substance that can instantly fix all of our problems. It is a tool that, when utilized in the context of a therapeutic relationship and supported by intentional integration, can facilitate profound personal growth and healing. For individuals who feel stuck and unable to break through into the healing they desire, KAP may be a therapeutic modality that fosters deeper connectedness to oneself and the ability to access underutilized strengths and motivations for growth.
In conclusion, envision your brain as an ever-changing snowy landscape. The sleds of your thoughts carve tracks in the snow as you journey through life. Psychedelics like ketamine act as a fresh layer of snow, offering new possibilities and perspectives. Through Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, the rigidity of outdated systems can be softened, initiating an inner healing process and facilitating personal growth. By creating an environment of curiosity, self-love, and support, we can tap into our innate wisdom and find the healing we seek. Ketamine, when used in conjunction with therapy, provides a powerful opportunity for transformative change and a deeper connection with oneself.

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